INDIANAPOLIS — A scheduled mixer held by one organization to recruit more mentors for Indy youth, came right on time Monday evening, following a mass shooting over the weekend.
WRTV’s Amber Grigley met up with the Bloom Project Monday night in their effort to bring more mentors to the youth.
"Hearing that, I was like man. I cried," Sean Washington, Project King Coordinator with the Bloom Project said.
The shooting was another heartbreaking reminder to the community that more work needs to be done.
"It's something that you never want to see. It's something you hope can be prevented," Thomas Coleman, Project King Coordinator with the Bloom Project said.
Seven kids between the ages of 12 and 17 were shot downtown.
WATCH | 7 teens shot in downtown Indy
"That's why we show up here right, to create those safe spaces. To create those opportunities, shed some positive light," Coleman said.
Reinforcement the community can use right now to steer our youth in the right direction.
"In this season of what's going on in the city and outside of just that incident. What's going on in general, what's been going on? The time is now," Washington said.
The Bloom Project held its first mentor mixer of the year Monday night to recruit more mentors.
"I would say we have about 20. 15-20. We can always use more, because the more mentors, the more kids we can provide services too," Coleman said.
Coleman joined the Bloom Project as a mentor two years ago when he was an educator for Warren Township.
"I wanted to be an example. Growing up, these were the people I missed or didn't have. Coaches were my mentors," Coleman said.
“Someone that has the capacity to be able to come and pour into the kings. We only ask for six hours per month to mentor the young men. Then we also have obligations to text them outside of here once a week to check in on them, and have engaging conversations. So that's our ask," Washington said.
Washington told Amber, that it truly takes a village to make an impact. Although it may be discouraging, it's not an impossible task.
"We got to rebuild that connection. Have a conversation that could have established a common ground with one another and feel where each other is coming from," Washington said, "Reestablish that connection then we can have that as the foundation, and we can start the healing process again. Young people out in the streets remind them, everybody in that village, that we're lacking right now."
